1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to safety equipment and more specifically to harnesses for preventing falls and/or for securing to a safety line.
2. Description of the Related Art
Linemen working to repair telephone lines, perform rescue operations, and other similar functions may be transported and supported by helicopter, and may wear harnesses for fall protection during such repair or rescue work. Harnesses known in the art can be unsafe since some inhibit blood flow in the legs. Front-attached harnesses, with a safety cable attaching to the lineman's chest, for example, can run in front of their body and restrict the vision and/or movement of the lineman, who then may have to lean to the side to perform their work. Back-attached harnesses may use leg loops, which, when supported only by a single point on the user's back, may tighten and restrict blood flow in the legs. Therefore, a solution is needed to safely support a lineman from the back.
When connecting two or more linemen together, the connecting safety rope between individuals may be in the front of the lower person. Therefore, this individual's vision may be restricted, and a solution is needed to safely support two more linemen together by connecting them via back-attached harnesses.
The aspects or the problems and the associated solutions presented in this section could be or could have been pursued; they are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches presented in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their presence in this section of the application.